world figure skating championship 97

�Jeanine Mathews

Short Program

Worlds looked like a rerun of nationals in the short, as Steven fell badly on the triple axel. This time however he wasn't able to put on a  combination jump, and in a field like this one where thirteen triple axel triple toe combinations were landed, that was always going to be costly. He looked fine in the air, he has all the rotations, his weight just tipped forward as he landed and down he went. The crowd seemed to love him, and clapped throughout the footwork sequence. This must have helped because he absolutely nailed the triple lutz and the double axel was so much better than it was at Nationals. His flying sit spin was everything you could wish for - good position, well centred, fast. (This is an element that has consistently given me heart failure since the incident in the short program at Europeans in 1995 where he was on his way to a clean short, including  the triple axel combination, when he fell on the last element, the flying spin. I could have wept.) The final spin had a little travel, but his position was again good. He ended up 17th, the missed triple axel really hurting.

Long Program

This was the Elton John medley again, with the same blue shirt we saw at  Europeans.He did a fabulous step sequence to start, really shoeing off his musicality, and his artistry. His lutz was a bomb. It never looked on, he was at a 45� angle when he took off, and managed to land it as a double. Even that was an accomplishment, in my opinion. When I saw that, I covered my eyes, nearly in tears (this was the day that Carlo Fassi died and I learned Scott Hamilton had cancer) because all I could think was "Here we go again" Except it wasn't. He went right down the ice and nailed the triple axel double toe combination. It wasn't a great axel, but he held it and they all count. I screamed. And then I screamed again when he went down on the triple salchow. His weight was too far back when he landed and he just fell out of the circle. His combination spin, I cannot say enough about.

Same camel-sit-change foot-camel-sit, just as well done. Next he doubled another attempt at the triple salchow - very untidy free leg, it  was all over the place. I forgave him that the minute he landed the solo triple axel, and it was a peach. More screams. He landed a triple flip,  double toe, and then changed a planned triple loop into that bothersome triple salchow (at least that's what he said on Eurosport later on). He really enjoyed that- when he landed it, his fists went straight up in salute. Another spin, a triple toe-double toe combination, and a camel spin to finish. The judges seemed to like it (yet another surprise) and he manged to vault up the rankings to finish 11th overall, thus qualifying him for Olympics. (He needed to be 15th or better to be assured of that.)

My thanks to Jeanine for these reviews!